Welcome to the Hallmark Channel Raymond & Catherine!

I was not expecting the cheesiness of a “ghosts of Christmas Past” be so very NOT cheesy!

I almost want to skip right to the rating system because I feel like this hit so many hearts in all the categories, but I will take a minute to touch on a few things. The total and complete FRIEND ZONE that was so clearly being thrown at our man, Nate, had me squirming so much that I wasn’t quite sure how Lauren was going to be redeemed in the eyes of the viewer. Nate wasn’t just in the Friend ZONE…it was more like a PRISON! Poor guy. We all want someone to look at us the way Nate dreamly pined for Lauren….FOR LITERAL YEARS! AMIRIGHT!?!?!?

So here’s how I break it down:
5 categories, 5 hearts possible in each: 

CHEMISTRY (between the leads)❤️❤️❤️❤️As I said up top….if I was strictly voting off our our boy, Nate….this would be 5 hearts, for sure. From the opening scenes to the final kiss, he played the love struck fool to perfection! I’m just so hung up on Lauren and her avoidance. At first, I was thinking there was NO WAY she doesn’t see how Nate feels about her…so if they would have played it like that, I think the whole movie would have lost me. I’m so glad she acknowledged that she knew. That being said….the fact that it took the whole darn movie for her to have this epiphany….they get docked a heart. I said what I said.

STORYLINE (overall plot of the movie) ❤️❤️❤️❤️ This plot actually worked for me! It was so much better than I expected. Each visit from a boyfriend of the past showed Lauren just how abruptly she ended their relationship. The tie-in to the time of year her mother left actually didn’t even dawn on me until the end though. I mean, childhood trauma effecting the way you approach your adult relationships? RELATABLE, for $200, Alex! It still was hard to watch Nate waiting in the wings the whole movie. Man, that dude tugged on my heart strings!
SUPPORTING CAST❤️❤️❤️❤️ Appa=GOLD! I loved his relationship with his daughter…both silly and so heartfelt. Even her stepmother was the sweetest. ALL the boyfriends did a FAB job! My one beef was Lauren’s girlfriend not giving her the “what for” regarding Nate sooner. If this group of friends have been friends since college, they ALL should have seen this sitch, right?

FEELS❤️❤️❤️ Have a mentioned yet that Raymond Ablack KILLED Nate’s character?!?! This man had my heart wrenched the entire movie. Hence, why I thought I wasn’t getting out of here even liking Lauren. Welp, my girl did turn it around, and the few minutes from the conference room to the community center at the end saved her entirely for me. That kiss was worth it….and even the ending scene had me melt a little bit….but only because it was simple and more real than all wordy-like Hallmark normally does.

HALLMARK SURPRISE ❤️❤️❤️ The most surprising part of this one for me was we never had to see Lauren’s mother. I’m so glad they didn’t bring her into this. She wasn’t needed. Obviously so much of Lauren’s heartache was triggered by her leaving, and I’m glad the movie ended with Lauren & Nate getting their happy ending surrounded by her Appa & Yong. Of course, the all new Hallmark cast made me so happy to see…especially because we got to get a peek at new food, new customs, and amazing actors/actresses! I hope we see these two again soon!

NEW (ungraded) CATEGORY no hearts given, but I feel like some of the “traditions” or decor in these movies NEED a little spotlight. I mean…

WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?!?!

1. Christmas Game Night complete with CHAMPIONSHIP HATS!
2. Tree Lighting…..but with FIREWORKS!

18/25 This was cute. Not sure I’d watch it again, but I will put any other movies starring Raymond Ablack and/or Catherine Haena Kim at the top of my watch list! That’s praise enough, right?

The NEW 2021 Hallmark Christmas Movies have begun, and I am here for all of it!

If you’re new to my blog/website, you may be wondering “Why in the world is she talking about Hallmark movies when I came here for crafts and sewing projects?!?” GREAT QUESTION! Simple answer: I have many interests….so instead of making multiple websites, you get all of me here.

I’ve been so busy, that I haven’t taken the time to review the “off season” movies as much….but I will NOT miss out on Christmas! So let’s get our Merry On, shall we?

First up this season, we have Danika McKeller & Benjamin Ayres starring in You, Me, & the Christmas Trees

I wanted so badly to LOVE this movie.

Look. I AM a scientist. 👩‍🔬 I SUPER appreciated the gigantic nod to science, the scientific method, the fact that science (and experiments in particular) 🔬 can take trial & error AND longer periods of time….so yay! Real Science REPRESENT! However, that leaves very little room for the MAGIC of Christmas and the MAGIC I’ve come to love from my Hallmark movies. Also, I never claimed that lab work was romantic….so not a huge surprise it fell flat there as well 🤣

Another REALLY REAL aspect I just LOVED: REAL TREES!!! My kind of Christmas trees! They weren’t perfectly shaped or colored…and I LOVED IT!

So here’s how I break it down:
5 categories, 5 hearts possible in each:

CHEMISTRY (between the leads)❤️❤️❤️ I feel like I’m being generous with 3 hearts here. Jack and Olivia had their moments, but if I’m being honest, I just wasn’t feeling much between the two of them. It was just meh for me. I love both Danika & Benjamin, so I’m so sad this combo didn’t work for me….

STORYLINE (overall plot of the movie) ❤️❤️❤️ Here’s the deal. I loved what they were trying to do with this. Real scientific method. A laboratory mystery….but, did you all notice that we ended this movie WITHOUT EVEN AN ANSWER?!?! We still don’t know what was wrong with the trees!!!! Did this bother anyone else? And the big conflict between Jack & Olivia just didn’t make me care at all. This seemed like a fight that a couple that had been together for years would have, not one that a newly dating couple would let halt their romance.
SUPPORTING CAST❤️❤️❤️ I was so excited for the Wonder Years reboot….but…..I’m sorry, was Kevin’s older brother much better to watch when he was younger? Sorry DuWayne…my bar must have been set much lower back in the day…. I’m giving 3 hearts to one person specifically, and that is Jack’s mom. She might have been my favorite character in the whole movie. She sounds like a fun time, and I’d love to hang out with her someday at her new senior living pad.

FEELS❤️❤️ The absolute only thing that gave me the feels this entire movie: Danika’s (sorry, Olivia’s) monologue to her parents. I’m not sure what Danika’s childhood was like…but it really felt like she pulled from a very personal space for that scene. I almost cried right along with her. Best scene of the entire film.

HALLMARK SURPRISE ❤️❤️The big surprise for me was the commitment to the REAL tree throughout. It was quite a refreshing change to almost all Hallmark Movies and their Balsam Hill ads. Also….the flatness of the whole story until Olivia sees her parents face to face. Oh, and one more thing …..was there an unusual amount of alcohol in this movie? Even morning beverages? Hmmm……no judgement….just surprising…

NEW (ungraded) CATEGORY no hearts given, but I feel like some of the “traditions” or decor in these movies NEED a little spotlight. I mean…

WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?!?!

1. Cocktail Competition….not sure I want to participate, but I’d definitely be a judge!
2. Bake an ornament inside a Yulelog…and the first to find it gets to hang it and light the tree!

13/25 Oof! Not the way I thought we’d kick off the Countdown to Christmas Season….but I don’t think I could sit through this one again…I would probably rather sit in my couch all night and watch Christmas needles fall off my tree…

Countdown to Christmas 2020 really burnt me out. Out of the 40 new movies, I only chose 32 to be in my Hallmark Showdown Bracket, and it still felt like a bit much.

Then Winterfest ❄️ 2021 came….and albeit from a few good moments, none of them hit the mark for me.

Love Ever After 2021 ❤️? I thought, for sure, this will get me back in the spirit……nope. Nothing….

Until this. Until Them.

Apparently, my good friends, Tyler Hynes & Erin Krakow….

You two were just what I needed to get my Hallmark Mojo back……and I thank you. 😍

Well, yeah, and you know, love and stuff 😉

AHH! Tyler, staahhpppp being so dang lovable!

So here’s how I’m going to break it down:
5 categories, 5 hearts possible in each

CHEMISTRY (between the leads) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ David. (Well, Tyler…let’s be honest) Perfect blend of sarcasm, wit, timing…..and then hits you up with some of the most romantic monologues in Hallmark history. If you think I’m exaggerating, you haven’t watched this one yet. Elizabeth and David together were end game from childhood. It was so fun watching her realize it!

STORYLINE (overall plot of the movie) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ loved 🥰 all of it. They did such a great job of portraying childhood friends to romantic love in adulthood. I love that a huge part of the story was Elizabeth finding herself again… I love that the secondary character wasn’t thrown under the bus, I even 95% love how they ended it coming full circle.

SUPPORTING CAST ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Here’s where this one could’ve use some work. I was so wrapped up in the main characters, that I cared very little about anyone else…..Which doesn’t bother me really, but since it’s a rating system that I’ve made… I have to talk about it. I did love grandma! She always knew what was up 😉

FEELS ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ so SO SO MANY! The Dancing…the tv watching…the wedding registry!!! The hidden letters. So many swoon-worthy moments with these two! I’m not going to wreck it by trying to explain them….

HALLMARK SURPRISE _{(anything that really jumped out from the “norm” Hallmark Movie equation)} ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ The patience of this man! Normally Hallmark banks on the whirlwind romance. I was shocked by this change….especially the ending. My only wish was that the ending would have been set in Italy. I mean, missed opportunity, don’t you think?

24/25 absolutely Watching again! This one is going to be one that I come back to time and time again. 💕

Friends.

THIS IS HALLMARK GOLD RIGHT HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I took a bit of a break from my reviews the last couple weeks because, well, Christmas gets a little crazy the closer it gets, ya know. In my house, I add to that by making many of my gifts….trying to maintain a bit of normalcy for my fam in 2020…..on-and-off virtual schooling 3/4 of the kiddos…..finsihing up custom Christmas orders for LadyBeez Designs…..oh, and working night shift at the hospital……….so, there you have it.

I continued to watch Hallmark Christmas movies, but let my blog reviews fall to the wayside.

I COULD NOT. LET. THIS. ONE. PASS. Though……

It’s movies like this that restore my love for Hallmark and re-energize my Christmas Spirit….and I watched this on December 29th, so that’s just how powerful this one is!

Hello, Mr. Van Winkle! _{so, honestly, I googled this guy, and I HAVE seen him before….but this is OBVIOUSLY his best Hallmark performance.}

Averie Peters……Sweet MAX! This little sweetheart is GOING PLACES! You’ve seen it here first! I just want to squeeze her!

So here’s how I’m going to break it down:
5 categories, 5 hearts possible in each

CHEMISTRY (between the leads) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Lucas & Lucy. LUCAS AND LUCY!!!!!!! Where in the world do I even start?!?!? I loved every single second of these two. I laughed, I cried sobbed like a baby, the butterflies crept up from my stomach to my throat, I blushed like a preteen in front of my children. The funny banter at the beginning….the reluctant pairing….the DANCE…..the Fire pit scene….THE END. I’m a puddle, can you tell?!?!?!?
STORYLINE (overall plot of the movie) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ YES!!!!!! This is how you make a WISH movie! 1000% to the whole thing. I loved the REAL-NESS of it all. Lucy is BUBBLY OVER THE TOP…(but even those CHRISTMAS LOVERS have their limits) Max’s wishes changing….so good! Lucas’ healing journey. Man, THE TEARS that I shed!!!! The explanation of grief….it reminded me of “Two Turtle Doves” from last year. I don’t want to spoil a SINGLE second, because you MUST watch!

SUPPORTING CAST ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Everyone and EVERYBODY was so good…..MAX is just the cutest little girl on the planet! That smile! I can’t believe this is the only film on her IMDB! I loved Lucas’ parents—great support and one-liners. Lucy’s mom with the MAD sewing skills making some amazing dresses! I wonder if she sews anything but Velvet? (sorry….sewist nerd observation) I LOL-ed at her reaction to the first dress…I may have done that to my own mother once or twice 😉 Lucy’s friends Cullen & Joan’s story was also adorable……it’s all GREAT, ya hear?!?!?!?

FEELS ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ PLEASE SEE ALL THE ABOVE. At the end after sobbing into my 8yo’s arms….we were bouncing up and down on the couch. Things I haven’t mentioned yet: The bracelets. The GINGERBREAD HOUSE (and every scene and revolved around it) The scene with Lucas and his Dad toward the end is when I lost it…….and then basically, Travis Van Winkle speaking anything throughout this whole movie. And Also, maybe when he wasn’t speaking too.

HALLMARK SURPRISE _{(anything that really jumped out from the “norm” Hallmark Movie equation)} ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I wasn’t prepared for how much I LOVED this whole thing. I was actually SHOOK at the ending. The whole ending surprised me…and Cullen’s extra line…and just…………EVERYTHING. WATCH IT!

25/25 I feel like this was the movie of the YEAR. I’m not even joking. I loved it so much. I will watch it many times. Max, I CANNOT wait for your wish next year!!!!! (PLEASE MAKE A SEQUEL)